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A Veil Of Lies

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All spoilers for Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers are unmarked.

A Veil of Lies is a Fanfic of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers, written by Neferirkare_Kakai.

It follows Darkrai after being defeated in the post-game: after Palkia’s attack, he ended up being sent to the past, years before any of the game’s events happened. He cannot remember the details of his defeat, but he’s sure that the hero and partner had something to do with it, so he develops a new plan for revenge – he will take the partner’s place, disguising himself as a Duskull and pretending to be friends with the hero. Only then, he will betray her and recreate his world of darkness.

Unfortunately for Darkrai, she manages to actually befriend him, as much as he tries to deny it. Cue a redemption arc where he very slowly goes from Jerkass to Jerk with a Heart of Gold.

The story started as a Crack Fic mainly meant to be funny and heartwarming, but the it developed a lot of drama, worldbuilding, and thorough characterization.

It can be read here.


This fanfic provides examples of:

  • Becoming the Mask:
    • Darkrai plans to “befriend” Pearl, the hero, just so he can betray her when he has gained her trust. Unfortunately for him, he starts to actually like her.
    • Funnily enough, he also inverts this trope. At first, he pretends to be nice, but it doesn’t take long for his mean personality to become visible to everyone.
  • Blue-and-Orange Morality: Cresselia can’t understand why anyone would be sad that someone died, even if they were young, because in her mind, it’s natural that some die and that some kill others.
  • The Chessmaster: Darkrai downplays this trope. On one hand, he’s pretty good at planning, is patient enough for his plans to actually work, and is a master manipulator. On the other hand, it’s clear that all his lies will crumble eventually because there’s too many lies for him to keep track of.
Fanfic’s tags: Darkrai’s actually really stupid but he hasn’t realized it yet
  • Combat Pragmatist: Darkrai explains to Pearl that if she is outmatched, she should play dirty.
Darkrai: If you throw sand into their eyes to blind them temporarily, so be it. If you hit them in the knees to make them fall, it is their fault for not paying enough attention. After all, a fight won without honour is still a fight you won.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Because Darkrai is a legendary Pokémon, most fights where he is involved end after he uses a single Dark Pulse.
  • Deadpan Snarker:
    • Darkrai (and, by extension, Darcy) clearly prefers sarcasm as his main form of communication.
    • Despite being a kind person, Pearl is also dryly sarcastic at times, possibly because of Darcy’s influence.
  • Dirty Coward: Darkrai doesn’t have any problems admitting that he will run away if he is outmatched.
  • The Dreaded: Guildmaster Wigglytuff is feared by all outlaws, including Darkrai (though he tries to deny it).
  • Even Evil Has Standards:
    • Played for Laughs. Darkrai has no problem with threatening to torture Pokémon or subjecting them to endless nightmares, but even he can admit that the guild taking 90% of their earnings is unfair.
    • On a more serious note, he also will not directly kill if not in self-defense.
  • Fantastic Racism: According to Darkrai’s narration, others will often distrust him just because he’s a Dark-type (or, in the case of his disguised self, a Ghost-type). While there are actual reasons to dislike him, he appears to be correct, considering Chatot’s behavior.
  • Gender-Blender Name: Darkrai ends up naming himself “Darcy” when coming up with his disguise, which Chatot points out is a girl’s name.
  • Hates Being Touched: Darkrai feels horrible whenever anyone touches him, though washing the touched area makes is less bad.
  • Heel–Face Turn: The whole point of the fanfic is to watch as Darkrai goes from a Jerkass villain to a slightly less mean hero.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Through Pearl’s influence, Darcy very slowly begins to be nicer to other people, but he’s still his old sarcastic self.
  • Kid Hero: Pearl is clearly young, though her exact age is unknown. Darcy guesses she is older than 10, but younger than 15. She turns out to be roughly 15 years old at the time they find out her age.
  • Lack of Empathy:
    • Subverted by Darkrai. At first, he seems to care only about himself, just like in the games. However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that he does actually care, and is just pushing these feelings down.
    • Cresselia, of all people, turns out to not really care about anyone else. She’s still a nice person, but acts from what others consider right or wrong, rather than her own instincts. Downplayed, as at least she cared about her brother in the past, though it isn’t clear if she still does so.
  • Lemony Narrator: Despite it being in third person, most of the story is from Darkrai’s point of view, and he makes his dislike of other Pokémon known through it.
  • Moral Sociopathy: Cresselia doesn’t really care if other Pokémon die, but still tries to do what others consider right.
  • Never My Fault: Darkrai is always justified, in his own mind, no matter how rude or violent he is.
  • Power Incontinence: Darkrai can’t control his nightmare-inducing powers, and it affects everyone near him, including Darkrai himself.
  • Prophetic Names: Pearl (who was previously a human) gets turned into the Water-type Piplup.
  • Then Let Me Be Evil: Some of Darkrai’s thoughts imply that he became a Jerkass because others shunned him first, but since he never accepts that he has done wrong, it’s not clear if that’s the truth. Turns out it is – he ended up as the cynical, mean Darkrai we know today because the other Pokémon hated him for the nightmares he would cause.
  • We Can Rule Together: Pearl turns out to be good company, even in Darkrai’s eyes, to the point he considers making her his minion. He decides against it, though, because she would never accept.
  • Would Hurt a Child: In the past, Darkrai attacked Pearl, who is a young teenager, justifying to himself as something he had to do. He clearly feels a little bad about it, though, even as he tries to deny it.

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